Fire!
The light came from flames!
Lost in delirium, Hadley could no longer distinguish between dream and reality. She felt transported back to that terrible year in Blathe. She had been heavily pregnant then, and merciless flames had devoured the entire sky.
“Hadley!”
A neighbor’s strong hands dragged her from the inferno.
“Everything’s burning! Run for your life!”
“No! My savings are still inside. I have to retrieve them! I have to go back inside!”
Amidst the roaring flames, burning debris continued crashing down around her.
“Hadley! Move faster!”
“No! I can’t!”
Hadley squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head violently as tears carved tracks down her cheeks.
The nightmare shifted abruptly to a sterile hospital room. On the narrow hospital bed, she held her newborn daughter while a stern nurse demanded payment.
The nurse released a weary sigh. “Surely you have family somewhere? Friends, perhaps? Contact someone—anyone—who might help you.”
Family, friends…? Who in the world could possibly help her?
The sounds surrounding her intensified, as if rescue were finally approaching through the rubble.
Had someone finally arrived to save her?
“Over here!”
“Mr. Scott, is this your wife?”
L?t?st chαpt?rs ιn glovе.?
“Let me pass!”
The responder pressed against the wall while Eric twisted sideways—the cramped space permitted no other movement. Once he found stable footing, he directed his flashlight beam downward.
An overwhelming torrent of emotion exploded from the depths of his heart. “Hadley!”
Eric’s voice shattered completely, tears cascading down his face and following the bridge of his nose. It was indeed Hadley—without a doubt.
“She’s my wife!” he confirmed breathlessly to the emergency responder.
Slowly, he extended his trembling hand toward Hadley, his breathing and heartbeat racing beyond his control. “Hadley… Hadley? Can you hear my voice?”
Terror gripped him as his fingers sought the faint warmth of Hadley’s breath. He whispered desperate prayers for her survival.
The moment his fingertips brushed her nose, Hadley’s eyelashes trembled, and she fought to lift her heavy eyelids.
Eric’s entire body shook with relief. “Hadley, can you hear me speaking?”
“Yes…” Hadley whispered weakly, her unfocused gaze settling on his face. A fragile whisper escaped her parched lips. “Eric?”
“Yes, it’s me!”
.
.
.